While I was at Convergence I took a one day workshop taught by Makiko Tada. The technique was Kumihimo which means braiding in Japanese. I have taken Kumihimo classes before but they always used a Maru Dai which is a lovely piece of equipment that helps you produce many different kinds of braids.
The only equipment we needed to produce the scarf was a piece of cardboard and the ribbon material. This is actually an old technique. The Native Americans call it Finger Weaving and it is an oblique weave.
We used lovely Mokuba transparent ribbon. This is a very expensive and beautiful ribbon made in Japan. After choosing a color and measuring our scarf warps we swapped with others in the class to get an array of colors. I really think that because the ribbon is transparent and other colors are formed as it is braided, that you could combine just about any color and it would look gorgeous! Check out these pictures of the process.
Wonderful items can be made with this technique: scarves, shawls, belts. Makiko made a lovely coat using wider ribbons. Here is a picture of Makiko in her coat and me in her elegant black shawl which she insisted I wear for the picture!
It was a great class and I enjoyed learning the technique. I plan on adding beads to the scarf that I made in class. I can't wait to wear it!
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